FAIRNESS, FEELINGS AND FRIENDS

There are times when men cause you to loose faith in humanity’s ability to progressively evolve towards a higher moral plain. The April 7, 2015 South Miami Commission meeting was just such a time. Last night the fondness of friendship won out over fairness and the feelings of hundreds of South Miami residents.

On last night South Miami City Commissioner Walter Harris used his his commission appointment to reappoint a person to the city’s planing board, who has been apposed by the South Miami Concerned Clergy & Citizen Coalition as well as the residents of the black community, for having made many racially charged and prejudicial statements for years.

Although, Ms. Fischer has a long history of these incredibly offensive comments, and even though I as president of the Concerned Clergy & Citizens Coalition personally spoke with Commissioner Harris several times to express the community’s and our displeasure at the thought of her being reappointed, as I did with every commissioner, and though he was aware of her highly offensive comments posted in the Miami Herald just last June, and though he admitted that some of the comments in her letter were and I quote: “unfortunate statements.” To which Commissioner Gabriel Edmunds commented “I know Ms. Fischer a little and she’s done some things that have impressed me, although I can not explain her letter,” as he second the motion to remove the motion to appoint her from the table. And although Commissioner Bob Welch passionately tried to caution him on appointing Ms. Fischer, with the city attorney’s assistance no less, by reminding him of both and already pending lawsuit against the city for statements made much like the ones Ms. Fischer wrote in her letter to the Miami Herald and the liability of the city for said statements. To which Commissioner Harris replied: “She’s my friend, I’ll keep my eyes on her.” Hum? Either the glasses Commissioner Harris wears are woefully inadequate or he has a wandering eye. Because, where his eyes were when she wrote that last letter? And though I wrote a letter in response to the issues Ms. Fischer raised and read said letter to the commission in a calm and rational manner, in an effort to point out the terribly offensive language used in Ms. Fischer’s letter to describe a certain segment of the community. Commissioner Harris, rather than hearing my very reasoned reply to Ms. Fischer’s letter, accused me of “attacking” her. But after reading the letter to the commission I presented a signed copy to the clerk with a petition signed by more than four hundred residents, that Commissioner Walter Harris, in the face of those present in the chamber, without the slightest consideration, dismissed and continued to insist on appointing Ms. Fischer.

Last night Commissioner Walter Harris made it crystal clear to us, that the thoughts, opinions and feelings of over 400 hundred residents, a large number of a particular segment of South Miami, are inconsequential to his own personal desires or his sense of obligation to his friends, apparently weather that friend is right or wrong.

Rodney B. James
CCCC President

Here’s a letter that was sent to us;

Mr Miller ,

Pastor James article contains out and out libel against me. James states that I have a history of making offensive remarks. He needs to come fwd with documentation of those remarks. He will not be able to because they are non-existent. The letter that I wrote to the Herald that he and Mayor Stoddard are so offended by makes no reference to race, nor to “poor” people over running the city. There was even an absurd statement made that I “do not trust poor people to cross US 1 on foot” This is an absurd and ugly thing to say. The truth is that I do not trust many drivers on US1 to allow any of us to cross US1 on foot. Death by reckless, and inattentive hit and run drivers does not discriminate between any of us. Mayor Stoddard made these statements about my letter on March 17, and James made the same statements on April 7th. These words were not used in my letter,along with other vile statements not made by me. Why is it that you publish this garbage,and refuse to publish any letter from me with my very real concerns for the All of the people of this city? What ever happened to your Letters to the Editor section? Now you are providing a venue for Pastor James while scoffing at the rest of the people of this city. The Miami Herald sent me a statement that they do not print racist letters. A respected editor, Mr. Scott Andron,Esq. saw fit to publish my letter. The MAYOR AND JAMES have put their own ugly spin on it, and inserted false statements in between many of my sentences. Your policy of giving preferential treatment to liars is disgusting.

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THE CITY OF PLEASANT QUID PRO QUO LIVING CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER INTER-OFFICE MEMORANDUM To The Honorable Mayor & Members of the City Commission From Steven J. Alexander, City Manager Agenda Item No 6 Date April 21, 2015 Subject A Resolution authorizing the City Manager to permit Subject A Resolution approving a Special Events application from Das Renn Treffen, a non-profit organization for their 1st Annual Porsche Car Show, to showcase classic cars, on May 3, 201S, on Sunset Drive in South Miami. Background Das Renn Treffen, a non-profit organization, has submitted a Special Event Application to hold a classic Porsche Car show on May 3, 2015. This would be the first annual event that would be held in the City of South Miami, show casing 250 classic cars. The applicant has paid the City $660, which includes $60 application fee, $100 administrative fee, and $500 deposit. The applicant will be responsible for all services rendered by the Police $2,310, Parking meters $2,075 Street Closure fee $475, MOT Fee $200, and Public Works $383.36; totaling an estimated amount of $5,443.36. THE CITY OF PLEASANT QUID PRO QUO LIVING CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER INTER-OFFICE MEMORANDUM To The Honorable Mayor & Members of the City Commission From Steven J. Alexander, City Manager Agenda Item No 7 Date April 21, 2015 Subject: A Resolution authorizing the City Manager to permit Team FootWorks Educational and Fitness Corporation, a non-for-profit organization to hold its 27th Annual Twilight 5K Walk/Run event on Sunday, May 31, 2015, in South Miami's downtown area including surrounding streets, and WAIVE the cost of the parking meters. Background: Team FootWorks Educational and Fitness Corporation is a non for-profit organization, which submitted a Special Event Application to request permission to hold its 27th Twilight 5K Walk/Run, on Sunday, Mary 31, 20 IS, in South Miami's downtown area and surrounding streets. Expense: For the past 26 years, Team FootWorks Educational and Fitness Corporation has held their Twilight 5K Walk/Run in the City of South Miami, providing a health initiative, along with the ability for avid and beginning runners to participate in this special event. Team FootWorks has obtained the necessary petition signed by the appropriate local businesses. Each year Team FootWorks Educational and Fitness Corporation awards a charitable designation to receive a donation. This year the SOUTH MIAMI POLICE EXPLORERS WILL BE AWARDED. The applicant paid $500 for the deposit, $100 for administrative fee and $60 for an application fee; totaling $660. In addition, the applicant will pay the following fees: Police: $2,050 Public Works: 554.48 Street closure & MOT: $463.75 (1055 linear feet X .25 = $263.75 + $200 MOT) Parking Meters: $1,450 ( 58 meters X $25.00 per day) The applicant is requesting a waiver for parking fees in the amount of $1,450. Upon approval of the waived parking fee, the final amount for services rendered to the City is $3.068.23. Through Resolution # I 04-14-14198. signed on May 20, 2014. the City Commission WAIVED the parking fee for last year's event. $4,518.23 or $3,068.23 (if waiver is approved). City of South Miami (SOMi) Commission meeting April 7 2015 Commissioner Joshua Liebman from the dais: Okay I can give this to the the city manager promoted internally… (SOMi) Legal Attorney Thomas Pepe: No you can't you can't promote it.. (SOMi) Commissioner Joshua Liebman from the dais:No? Can i ask the community to participate? Even if all monies benefit branches, art south, somerset… (SOMi) Legal Attorney Thomas Pepe: pardon me.. (SOMi) Commissioner Joshua Liebman from the dais: non for profit im sorry… (SOMi) i Legal Attorney Thomas Pepe: Well is it I mean if it is a charitable kind of event… its a non profit charitable event? (SOMi) Commissioner Joshua Liebman from the dais: yeah it for non profit I work for a non profit I dont benefit from the races well they would like the community to participate thats it yep I cant say anything okay thank you.
City of South Miami (SOMi) commission meeting December 2, 2014 (SOMi) Commissioner Joshua Liebman from the dais: Add on item b… through team footworks our local non for profit which he was the founder and president of contributed over a hundred thousand dollars to south miami charities and millions to other charities….as a matter of fact if you read the article in todays paper THE BENEFITING CHARITY IS THE SOUTH MIAMI POLICE EXPLORERS…I am going to urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the add on item b…

city of south miami commission meeting may 5 2015 city attorney thomas pepe and um also ah I just want to advise you that I received an ethics opinion I shared with commissioner liebman ah but it it will affect everyone and as a result of that I have uh I will be proposing the next commission meeting an amendment to the ethics code the commission on ethics mr centerino stated or or informed me by way of ah an opinion that non of the commissioners can promote any non profit events in which fees are or money is going to be accepted ah without some exception in our ethics code the county has an exception in their ethics code to allow ah the city employees city manager to solicit donations for things like fourth of july fireworks they also have an exception for ah the commissioners to allow them to promote non profit events and the problem is that their opinion is such ah such promotion is a gift solicited by by the commissioner or whoever it is that thats making thats trying to promote the event because you are making a gift to a non non not only a non profit but the non profit is going to be giving the money to a charity so you are soliciting money for someone else and as a result its a gift and its attributable to you and it would be a violation of the ethics code without an exception so Im going to be proposing an exception to our ethics code so that basically will track dade county ethics code exception
city of south miami commission meeting may 5 2015 city commissioner joshua liebman if i can elaborate on that that means that the currently the commission can't even promote either the art shows cant promote the rotary art show nor the chamber south art show nor volks blast or anything like that the only the only tip event the commission can currently promote the fireworks or the backpack giveaway any city sponsored event outside of city sponsored events the commission can't promote any event in inside the city or outside the city
city of south miami commission meeting may 5 2015 city commissioner walter harris is the ah sunset five k run at the end of the month a city sponsored event
city of south miami commission meeting may 5 2015 city attorney thomas pepe no no it's not city sponsored event is it
city of south miami commission meeting April 21 2015 mayor philip stoddard um ids i am delighted this evening to announce the twilight five k run and josh do you know how many five k runs have been before how many which year this one is the thirty somethinkuth uh team foot works twilight five k run and uh lori huseby is um wanted me to mention this will be held in memory of her late husband hans huseby a friend of us all and she would love to see large participation from south miami um it is going to benefit the south miami police explorers the south miami alliance for youth the south miami drug free coalition and tropical audubon this year um there is a flat fee entry of twenty dollars good price ah you can register at twilight number 5 k dot o r g and use the code so me s o m i so thats twilight five k dot org so me is the code and it is going to be held on mark the date the thirty first of may so look very much looking forward to it and uh thanks to uh thanks to the huseby family for doing this and at this point we'll take a five minute break and meet you back here at that point to resume the rest of the meeting